Russian Navy’s Slava-class Cruiser To Get New Weapons

Russian defense industry sources confirm that the Russian Navy's Pr.1164 Atlant (NATO: SLAVA Class) will get a new lease of life.

The upgraded Pr.1164M will include an impressive array of new weapons, surpassing the planned Pr.23560 Lider Class nuclear cruiser.

The most visible difference is that the 16 P-1000 Vulcan (NATO: SS-N-12 SANDBOX) anti-ship missiles are replaced by 6 Poseidon Intercontinental Nuclear-Powered Nuclear-Armed Autonomous Torpedoes.This will be the first reported use an a surface vessel. Other weapons include hypersonic missiles and land attack cruise missiles. There is also a new air-defense complex consisting of both S-500 and S-350, and a rail gun.

Details of the electronics fit were not discussed but the accompanying poster appears to show phased array radars. These are mounted in an integrated mast similar to the Lider design. This upgrade should improve the stealth of the design.

The new artillery appears to be a rail gun, possibly the Turkish Şahi-209 model. A closer defense relationship between the two countries could indicate trade offsets. Russia is supplying the S-400 and S-500 SAM systems, and Turkey the rail gun technology.

All three active SLAVA Class vessels will be upgraded. They will act as flagships for carrier hunting task forces in Russia’s new Hybrid Hyper-warfare doctrine which relies heavily on new super weapons.

The upgraded ships will receive the NATO designation ZUMVALTSKI Class.

Aerial photograph taken from a Royal Navy Wildcat Helicopter of Russian Slava-class cruiser Marshal Ustinov. It was laid down in 1978, launched in April 1982 and commissioned in 1986. Photo: LPHOT SEELEY/UK MoD

Edit – 2 April 2020: This was obviously an April’s Fool article. We hope you enjoyed it.

Authors

H I Sutton writes about the secretive and under-reported submarines, seeking out unusual and interesting vessels and technologies involved in fighting beneath the waves. Submarines, capabilities, naval special forces underwater vehicles and the changing world of underwater warfare and seabed warfare. To do this he combines the latest Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) with the traditional art and science of defense analysis. He occasionally writes non-fiction books on these topics and draws analysis-based illustrations to bring the subject to life. In addition, H I SUtton is a naval history buff and data geek. His personal website about these topics is Covert Shores (www.hisutton.com)